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rkiladitis's review
4.0
It's the year 2386, and the students on Space Station Sagan are celebrating Challenger Day. The students begin their presentations, and through the magic of AI and holograms, meet the seven members of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger crew, hear about their selection and training for the Challenger mission, and what went so horribly wrong that day in January 1986. Written as nonfiction within a fictional setting, The Challenger Disaster creates fun, engaging characters and lets them interact with actual people from US history to deliver a narrative that is great for history and STEM readers, and graphic novel readers alike. Each member of the 1986 Challenger crew is developed and invites readers to meet the people behind the legend, behind the headlines. Back matter includes an afterword from the author about growing up in a post-Challenger world and additional Challenger facts. The artwork introduces a fun science fiction feel while solidly addressing the nonfiction portion of the book. Sketches and diagrams throughout will help readers gain an understanding of the many moving parts it takes for a space shuttle to come together, and the discussion on the story behind the disaster is sobering and, quite frankly, chilling. It's a mistake that should never have been made, and it brings home the risk of stepping outside our front doors.
rdyourbookcase's review
4.0
I liked the idea of telling the history of the Challenger disaster from the future when everyone's living in space. However, some pages had way too many words on them. It was crowded and claustrophobic to squeeze that information in.
saramarie08's review
3.0
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
This latest installment in History Comics presents the events leading up to and including the accident of the Challenger. This is done through a group of four students and their teacher, set 400 years into the future, where the students are tasked with a history report on Challenger Day, a holiday commemorating the lives lost during the space craft's explosion. The narrative is comprised of four parts: history of the space program, where particular attention is placed on the Space Shuttle program in particular; the history of Challenger crew, where each member shares their biographical information through the use of AR technology in the students' classroom; the accident itself, presented by the teacher and given all due gravitas; and the Rogers Commission, told largely by Richard Feynman through AR again.
The setting of a future Mars space station is a fitting space to explore something that to us is relatively recent history. The students, for the most part, give significant respect to the subject matter knowing the outcome of the launch. There is one character whose commentary is slightly unnecessary. At one point, in telling about waining public support for the space program, she criticizes 20th century humans and calls them "stupid" for even entertaining the idea of discontinuing the space program. It did also feel slightly odd to have members of the Challenger crew participate as characters, especially when the future students acknowledge to each other that these people will not survive the mission the crew is teaching them about.
Aside from the color commentary, the events of the Challenger mission, disaster, and the investigation afterwards are presented with clarity and fairly. Students who have yet to get to this moment in history during their studies will appreciate this title because it is easy to read and provides a great overview of an important moment in our space exploration and part of the human experience.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale October 27, 2020.
This latest installment in History Comics presents the events leading up to and including the accident of the Challenger. This is done through a group of four students and their teacher, set 400 years into the future, where the students are tasked with a history report on Challenger Day, a holiday commemorating the lives lost during the space craft's explosion. The narrative is comprised of four parts: history of the space program, where particular attention is placed on the Space Shuttle program in particular; the history of Challenger crew, where each member shares their biographical information through the use of AR technology in the students' classroom; the accident itself, presented by the teacher and given all due gravitas; and the Rogers Commission, told largely by Richard Feynman through AR again.
The setting of a future Mars space station is a fitting space to explore something that to us is relatively recent history. The students, for the most part, give significant respect to the subject matter knowing the outcome of the launch. There is one character whose commentary is slightly unnecessary. At one point, in telling about waining public support for the space program, she criticizes 20th century humans and calls them "stupid" for even entertaining the idea of discontinuing the space program. It did also feel slightly odd to have members of the Challenger crew participate as characters, especially when the future students acknowledge to each other that these people will not survive the mission the crew is teaching them about.
Aside from the color commentary, the events of the Challenger mission, disaster, and the investigation afterwards are presented with clarity and fairly. Students who have yet to get to this moment in history during their studies will appreciate this title because it is easy to read and provides a great overview of an important moment in our space exploration and part of the human experience.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale October 27, 2020.
ljrinaldi's review
3.0
The basic story of the challenger disaster is a truly interesting historical even. And I loved the retelling here. What i found odd, and disjointed was that this whole story is told by school children 400 years in the future. It is a secondary story line that is really unnecessary. The story it self is fascinating, and it doesn't have to be retold by holograms.
I love that Feynman and the Rogers Commission is also included, because that explained the "O" ring failure, and that is what I remember from this time, the Congressional hearings.
So, while I don't like how this story was told, I would still recommend getting this, as it is a good explination of what lead up to the Challenger Disaster.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
I love that Feynman and the Rogers Commission is also included, because that explained the "O" ring failure, and that is what I remember from this time, the Congressional hearings.
So, while I don't like how this story was told, I would still recommend getting this, as it is a good explination of what lead up to the Challenger Disaster.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
meredithmc's review
3.0
A thorough history of the Challenger for a younger audience. The layers of storytelling - from the science behind space travel to the history of it to the importance of that particular mission - really create a complete picture. Each part builds upon each other to lead up to launch day and beyond. The book falls flat with the Challenger Day storyline with the students set in the future. It didn't feel particularly necessary and the glossing over of years of civil rights and social justice activism really fell flat for me. A more modern setting would've been just as, if not more, successful in stressing this mission's role within American history. Still, I enjoyed it and learned a lot. It will serve as a nice next step for kids interested in space and NASA who have grown beyond the more introductory history and facts.
mtnofbooks's review
5.0
I unknowingly started this book 36 years to the day after the Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986. I was in 2nd grade, only 8 years old, and we didn't have school that day. We were going to watch the launch in school, but since we were out, my grandma let us watch it at home. My class, probably like many around the country, had written to Christa McAuliffe and received responses from her and Ronald Reagan (imagine my chagrin when I was older and realized they were stock responses!). McAuliffe had been interested in space as a child and was excited to enter the Teacher in Space contest. She was going to teach lessons while in orbit. For teachers and students around the country, she was the face of this mission. Even at that age, I wanted to be a teacher, so it was the coolest thing ever to see a teacher going to space! I had a vested interest in this launch. This is the first historical event I remember in my lifetime, and it is something that I thought about regularly for years.
This History Comics book tells the story of the disaster through the eyes of students a couple of centuries in the future. They are honoring Challenger Day in their school on Mars. The first part explains the technicalities of building a space shuttle and some of the features of the Challenger in particular. It introduces each of the astronauts and shares a little of their background that led to them being on the flight crew. I was surprised by how emotional I was while reading the part about the day of the disaster. History Comics books use humor throughout their stories which helps to break up some of the more serious topics and make them more accessible for the intended audience; however, the explanation of the disaster was told with the reverence it deserves. It's a lovely story for young readers.
This History Comics book tells the story of the disaster through the eyes of students a couple of centuries in the future. They are honoring Challenger Day in their school on Mars. The first part explains the technicalities of building a space shuttle and some of the features of the Challenger in particular. It introduces each of the astronauts and shares a little of their background that led to them being on the flight crew. I was surprised by how emotional I was while reading the part about the day of the disaster. History Comics books use humor throughout their stories which helps to break up some of the more serious topics and make them more accessible for the intended audience; however, the explanation of the disaster was told with the reverence it deserves. It's a lovely story for young readers.
booknerd1997's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0